The Great Plains and Indians Flashcards
Why did nations like the Sioux move to the Great Plains?
- for horses - able to hunt buffalo, traded them, counted wealth in horses.
- to escape from diseases
- to trade goods
Describe the major obstacles the white settlers who wanted to cross over or live on the plains had.
- land not fit for farming
- lack of water
- scarcity of wood
- harsh weather
- native Americans - maybe not welcoming
Why was the missisipi chosen as the ‘first frontier’?
Acted as a natural border as ran the entire length of the country.
What were the black hills?
- area in the north that was sacred to the Indians
- belief in being close to their ancestors (high up)
Why were the plains Indians so well suited to living on the Great Plains?
- family life (everyone had roles)
- developed social organisation
- used horses
- lots of uses for buffalo
Describe the Indians’ family life.
- lived in tipis
- 10 - 50 families in one band
- children and elderly seen as important as future of the band
- spent most of year travelling / hunting / camping, were nomadic
- elderly left behind when too weak to continue
- wealthy men had several wives, ‘polygamy’
Describe the Indians’ social organisation.
- Sioux nation split into tribes
- tribes split into bands
- each band had chief, warrior society and a council
- chief position earned through wisdom, war and medicine, not elected
- warrior society protected village and overlooked hunting
- council (elders) made decisions and connected to spiritual world
Describe the Indians’ horses.
- used for transport
- enabled fighting for longer
- more horses owned = more wealthy you were
- stolen horses became a problem
- thought horses had spiritual value, white did not
Describe the Indians’ use of the buffalo.
- fur for coats
- bones for arrowheads
- tongues for hairbrushes
- horns for spoons
- intestines for buckets
- bladders for food bags
- hearts eaten for strength
- skull used in religious ceremonies
How did Indians view the land?
- sacred
- believed they returned to land when dead
- believed land could not be owned
- called land their mother
- believed ploughing land was like ripping mothers breast
Describe the Indians’ religion.
- believed in wakan tanka, great spirit, created everything
- contacted spirits through visions who influenced their lives
- sacred circles, high places sacred, closest to spiritual world
- circle of nature
- surrounded by circle of horizon, village, council, tipi
- lived through circles of birth, childhood, adulthood, old age, second childhood, death.
What was the role of Indian men?
- hunting
- looking after horses
- protecting band
- judged by skills as hunters, worriers and horsemen
What was the role of Indian women?
- responsible for tipi, food, water and clothing
- judged by skills at crafts and as homemakers
- highly valued as bearers of children
What was the role of Indian children?
- highly valued as future of the band
- no school but learnt skills from family
- taught to ride horses
- boys taught how to hunt
- girls taught how to maintain at home
- learnt how to survive on Great Plains
What was the role of Indian elderly?
- gave advice to council
- passed on history of people
- helped bring up children
- left behind when too weak
How did the tipi suit the plains well?
- could be taken down / packed up in ten minutes
- conical shape to avoid strong winds
- flaps at top for smoke from fire to escape
- tipi bottom could be rolled up to let air in in summer or down and banked with earth for warmth in winter
- decorated by men with patterns and scenes recording bravery in hunting and battle
- fire inside for heat and cooking
- floor covered with buffalo skins and fur
Who treated the sick in plains Indian nations?
Medicine man:
- connection between religion and health
- believed cured using power of spirits
- tried to drive out spirit
- people believed when told they were ‘cured’ so might have gotten better
- also used practical remedies e.g. ointments, potions and herbs
- charged high fees in ponies
- returned fees if treatment unsuccessful
How did the plains Indian hunt the buffalo?
- before: had a ceremonial buffalo dance, called upon spirit for help in hunting
- hunting: without horses, had to stampede buffalo herd into corners or over cliffs or crept up on them, now with horses, killed greater numbers of buffalo
- after: buffalo prepared, some parts eaten and some dried and cut for use
What was the sun dance?
- their most famous ceremony
- used to get help or guidance from spirit world
Why did the plains Indians go to war?
- caused by small group raids
- went on raids to steel horses or seek revenge and destroy enemies
- rivalry for hunting and living space, but did not want to own land
- no wars in winter
- later wars fought to defend Indians way of life against white settlers
What attitude did the Indians have towards warfare?
- opportunity to prove bravery and gain personal glory
- could maybe enter a warrior society or gain a wife
- gain horses for wealth
- increased standing in tribe
What weapons did Indians use and how dangerous was warfare?
- shield, rifle, coup stick, bow and arrow, lance
- arrival of guns did not make war more destructive
- casualties relatively low
- more men lost through hunting than war
Why did plains Indians scalp their enemies?
- evidence of success in battle
- to hang as trophies outside tipis
- used to decorate war gear
- scalped would leave you ‘disabled in afterlife’, so couldn’t fight
Describe the weather on the Plains.
Very hot in summer.
Extremely cold in winter.
We’re white observers sympathetic to the plains Indians?
George Catlin - sympathetic, wanted to be their historian to record their society that would soon disappear
Francis Parkman - wasn’t sympathetic
Richard Dodge - didn’t fully understand them, more experience than Parkman, wrote book influencing attitudes of Americans to Indians, lead campaign to establish friendly contacts with them
How did the white men understand the plains Indians culture?
Didn’t
- thought Indians lazy
- thought Indians savages
- thought was wrong children did not go to school or get punished
- thought Indians uncivilised
- thought didn’t treat women with proper respect
- thought polygamy sinful
- thought Indians primitive
What is manifest destiny?
A societies duty towards God.
Indians was to protect their land God has given them for survival against US wanting to dominate entire continent.
